Holder for nonskid chains



. 1,474,563 H. G. STEELE HOLDER FOR NONSKID CHAINS Nov. 20)', 1923.

Filed Feb. 5. 1923 HAQNEYG.

Supe# No@ STEELE.

Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

HAENEY G. STEELE, E JoHNsTowN, PENNSYLVANIA. e

HOLDER EoENoNsxID'cHeINS.

Application filed` February 3, 1923. Serial No. 616,751. A-

State of i ennsylvania, have invented lcerHA tain new and usefulImprovements lin Holders for Nonskid Chains, of which the following is aspecication, reference being had to j the accompanying drawings.

for automobile andV truck tires, and more l particularly to means forholding in place the cross chainswhich extend over thel tread of thetire.

Oneof the objects of this invention isto provide a device of thischaracter which is so constructed that the chain holding portion of thedevice may be more or less permanently attached to the Wheel and be kepton the wheel either continuously or at least through the season duringwhich non-skid ychains are likely to be used. Y Ajfurther object is toso construct the "holding means that the cross chains may be quicklyconnected to ordisconnected from the holding device.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character` whichwilly hold theY chains so that they shall extend equally on y bothVsidesof the tire and felly of the wheel.V

Another object is to provide a holder of this character which, as beforeremarked, may be more or less permanently attached to the wheel itselfand which is not ordinarily Vremoved from the wheel, and which is soformed that those parts which a're'directly engaged Vby the terminallmembers ofthe cross chains are resilient and may beshifted radiallyoutward-by the use'of a suitable 0 tool in case a cross chain should beslightly.l short in length or diiicult lto engage `or disengage fromAthe holding device.

Still another object -is to provide means for holding the cross chainswhich will per`V mit the cross chains to shift over the tread Thisinvention relates to non skid chains iwheel having my anti-skiddeviceapplied thereto;l r .1 'l

A VFigure Qis a viewflookingtoward the inside Aface of the. chainholding meinbershownv ing the innerface ofthe felly in dotted lines ;y I

Figurel 3 is a-sectional view radial to the of the Vchain lholdingdevice detached;

Figure 5 Vis a perspective view .of one of the cuffs.

seen that my device comprises an rannular felly andv tire, showing mydevice applied; vFigure 4 is a. perspectiveq view of aportion member,designated generally 10, which is formed of a lsingle length ofrelatively heavy steel wire.somewhatresilient,v this` wire be ingsinuously bent so as tor provide a ser-ies of convolutions extendingtransverse lto the plane of the annulus. As illustrated in Fig-` l ure2, these convolutions are so formed as to provide relatively 1 wide. butrelatively `shallow convolutionslll designed to receive the spokes of.the wheel and embracethese f:

convolutions 11 by theconvolutions 13. Of

`spokes and betweenlthesev convolutionsll i yare narrower but .deeperconvolutions` 12',` the convolut1onsi12 being connected t0-the course,it will be understood thatthe convolutions llrand 12 andthe/convolutions 13 are integral` and'that the wholeannulusis lo .85V

made of anintegral piece of wire. I

The endsof the annulus may bel connect- 'ed 1n any suitable manner.ThusJv the `ends may be b-razed. welded or clamped together and I do notwishto restrict myself to anyparticularmeans for connecting the ends ofthe wire formingA thel annulus.

Y 9o Theann'u-- lus, when formec is of suchdiameterthatit'.

maybe disposedA between the hub: and'felly y of the wheel. andpreferably. about one linch inside vof the felly with the convolutions`11 embracing the-spokes of v`the wheel and the convolutionsland 13extending equi-,dis-A` tantly on'each side of the'middle plane of thelwheel; The cross 'chains Mare of any a suitable or usual form. but attheir ends are engaged with double snap links 15, each of is enga-gedwithv the end link ofthe trans# verse eli-ain Vlfand the other snap hookis adapted to be engaged withl the extremities of the convolutions 12 or13. I

these links having a snap hook 16 at its `opposite ends so thatone ofthese snap hooks y l .V-,wosi' Referring to these drawings, it willV beclamped to the spokes so that there will be no danger of any detachment,l preferably use cuffs 17 which are formed to embrace the spokes, thesecuffs beingsplit and yielding and formed with the outwardly projectingjaws 18 throughwhich a bolt 19 passes.

rlhese are clamped upon the spokes and each of these cuds is formed witha hook 2 0 whichl Itwill be noted from Figure 2, that the snap hook 16forming one ,extremity of the cross link is engaged with the crest ofthe convolution 12, while the other hook 16 at the other extremity ofthe cross chain is connected with the crest of the convolution 13 sothat the chain when in place eX- tendg over the tread face of the tireand eX- tends at an angle less'than a right angle to the medial plane ofthetire. Thus these chains extending diagonally particularly tend toprevent lateral skidding of the wheel.

l/Vith this construction it will be seen that` whenever it is desiredto* use anti-skid chains the cross chains maybe readily connected to theconvolutions 12 and 18 and that there will be no necessity of vjackingup the car in order to put on a set of cross chains and that the crosschains may be put invplace by merely snapping the hooks 16 intoengagement with the convolutions 12 and 13.

Vlf by any chance any of the chains are slightly shorter than theyshould be, or for any other reason the cross chains are slightlydiflicult to fasten, it is possible to insert an instrument such as ascrew driver beneath the convolution 12 or beneath the convolution 13and the convolution maybe lifted upward, that is toward the felly of thewheel, so as to readily snap the chain in place. The spoke-receiving`convolutions 11 einv brace the spoke firmly and resist anycircumferential movement of the annulus with relation to the wheel.`This movement. is further resisted, of course, by the cuffs 17 and thesecuffs 17 further prevent the annulus from becoming"accidentally detachedfrom` the wheel. lith this construction if a cross chain breaks or alink of this cross chain snaps, it is an easy matter to substitute an-`other cross chain without removing the chain as a4 whole, whereas withmost of the antiskid chains now on the market the breakage of a crosschain necessitates that either an entirely new anti skid chain shall beprocured or that the snapped link of theV cross chain shall be mended.In the latter case, of course, it is necessary to remove the entire tirechain to make the repair.

rlttention is particularly called to the fact Y the wheel or to one sideof thelinenial plane thereof and was not convoluted,wthe chain would notbe evenly extended over the tire but the middle of the chain would bedisposed to one side ofthe middle of the tread of the tire. VThe portionofthe'wire at the' 'crests of the convolutions permits the cross chainto have a certain freedomlef movement upon the tread sur-face of thetire so that this chainv may shift over the tread surface of the tire orwear thereover when the wheel is y being` driven overa road so that thecross chain will not cut into the tire or unevenly wear the tire.

`Whilel have illustrated a construction which is very simple, which maybe cheaply made, which may be quickly applied, and

which has been found thoroughly effective in service, l do notwish to belimited tothe details ofconstruction illustrated, as the convolutionsmight be varied in form.- in some respects without departing from thespirit of the invention. This is equally true of the particular form ofthe cuffs` whereby the annulus 10 isheld "to the spokes and the par-yticular form of the double snap .hooks 15.

Ifclaim z- V1. An anti-skid chain-holding device for" vehicle wheelsincluding anannulus convoluted parallel to its axis and transverselyv ofits circumference, certain of the convolutions Y being. formed toembrace the spokes of the wheel and certain ofthe convolutions being'adapted to receive the ends of `anti-skid cross chains.

2. An anti-skid chain-holding device forvehicle wheels comprisinganannulus formed 2 to provideta series of tiansif'ersely extending'-convolutions, certain of the convolutions being formedto embrace thespokes ofi-the vehicle wheeh means engagingthe annulus with the spokesbutpreventing lateral displacement ofthe annulus relative to the spokesand certain of th'e convolutions being adapted to receive the ends ofanti-skid 'cross chains.

3. AnV anti-skid 1chain-holding device for-` vehicle wheelscomprisinganl-annulus, the annulus being transverselyjfconvoluted,certain of theconvolutions .being formed to embrace the spokes of awheelfsplit cuffs ada-pb edy to be applied to the spokes and clampedthereon and havingfpliable lugs adapted toy embrace-the material of the-annulus wherethe ends of anti-skid cross chains. p 4. Anvanti-skidchain-holding device for vehicle wheels including an annulus formed ofresilient Wire, the wire being convoluted transversely to the plane ofthe annulus, certain of the convolutions, being relatively wide butshort and being thereby adapted lus, certain of the convolutions beingformed to embrace the spokes of a wheel and certain of the convolutionsbeing adapted to receive the ends of anti-skid cross chains, and meansto embrace the spokes of the wheel, the convolutions between 4saidspoke-engaging portions being relatively narrow but deep and extendingequally on each side of the median v plane of the annulus and certain ofthe convolutions being adapted to receive the ends Q of anti-skid crosschains, and means engag- 25 luted transversely tothe plane of theannulus, certain of the convolutions being formed to embrace the spokesof a -wheel and certain of the convolutions being ladapted vto receivethe ends of anti-skid cross chains, and means coacting with the annuluswhereof thefwheel and detachment.

6. As an article of prevented from lateral manufacture, means forholding anti-skid cross chains in place` 30 i by it may be held engagedwith the spokes e upon a'wheel comprising an annulus convo- Y lutedtransversely to the plane of the' annucoacting with the -annulus wherebyit may be held engaged with the spokes of the wheel and prevented fromlateral detachment, said means comprising a member adapted toclasp f awheel spoke and having a' pliable portion adapted to be folded over andembrace thev material of the annulus.

In testimony whereof Ihereunto aiixzmy signature.

' HARNEY G. STEELE.

